Parent Citizen Leaders
of the Urban Imagination Network
Parent Citizen Leaders is an opportunity for parents to create projects, which contribute to their children's schools and the community. Different projects may increase parent involvement in the schools, create parent forums, or support the children of the school.


Participants
Parents in Urban Imagination Network schools with vision and commitment who want to unite in a project team. Parent Citizen Leaders from across the city of Chicago were brought together into a common training process that helped parents learn from one another's innovations.

Each selected citizen leader:
  1. Participates in a leadership development process designed by Imagine Chicago that enables them to prepare proposals for imaginative community innovations
  2. Recruits and leads a local innovation project team of at least
    six members
  3. Prepares a proposal for an innovation connected to their
    children's school
  4. Creates the innovation with their team
  5. Documents, shares and sustains the progress

How the Citizen Leaders Works
A local citizen leader group has the opportunity to propose an imaginative project that will develop local leadership and participation. The innovation can strengthen existing networks, such as a scout group or a parent club. Projects that build on already existing projects and structures have a greater likelihood of sustainability.

For example, a group of parents might organize a series of holiday parties at the school, which involve parents in celebrating with the children. Or they could create monthly reading workshops, which will help parents work with their children at home. Or they could organize an after school program for neighborhood youth to get help while they do their schoolwork.

Through a series of bi-weekly workshops, participants learn how to prepare proposals, organize and implement imaginative community development projects, and evaluate and sustain their project's impact. Innovations that met the following criteria were eligible for grants of up to $500:
  • they involve at least six people and create a way to keep them involved
  • they have a lasting, positive impact for parents, children, and the
  • school.
  • they will be implemented during the 1999-2000 school year.

When
December 1999-September 2000.
Most meetings were at 35 E. Wacker Dr.

Why
The project is designed to enable locally organized parent groups to make a visible difference in their children's school. IMAGINE CHICAGO will create a "bank" of these working innovations for other parents to use as inspiration for their own creative involvement.

Funding
The program was funded by The Seabury Foundation and Chicago area churches.

Further information on specific Parent Citizen Leader Programs


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